College Football Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 9/24/21

Week 4 of college football is here! FanDuel's college football DFS main slate on Friday includes four games.

In case you're unfamiliar with how it works, you can check out the rules and scoring on FanDuel, where you can hit the lobby each week to see the full array of slates and contests being offered.

As for the basics, your roster consists of a quarterback slot, two running back slots, three wide receiver slots (tight ends are included in this group), and one "Super FLEX" slot. In the "Super FLEX", you can insert one player from any position, including quarterbacks.

Here, our goal is to help you field a roster full of fantasy goodness, and in true numberFire fashion, we'll use our in-house projections as well as betting totals and advanced statistics to tackle as many slates as possible in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff. This week, we are only breaking down Friday's main slate, which locks at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Let's break down which star players are in great spots, as well as identify some players with lower salaries who will provide value to get to them.

Quarterbacks

Brennan Armstrong, Virginia ($11,500) - Armstrong is putting up video-game-like numbers this season. Last week, the junior piled up 554 passing yards, four touchdown passes, and one interception against North Carolina. Prior to that, he threw for 405 yards and five touchdowns against Illinois. Armstrong has attempted at least 30 passes in all three games in 2021. The heavy passing volume should remain consistent throughout this season; two games in that sample were also blowout wins in Virginia’s favor.

Jake Haener, Fresno State ($10,000) - If you’re looking for a quarterback that can match Armstrong’s ceiling, look no further than Jake Haener. Haener offers a significant discount from the much higher-salaried Armstrong. The Fresno State gunslinger is averaging 366.0 passing yards per game in 2021. Additionally, the senior has 10 touchdown passes through four games. The icing on the cake is a phenomenal matchup with Nevada-Las Vegas' struggling defense. The Rebels rank 120th nationally in total defense. They’ve allowed 15 touchdowns through three games.

Chase Cunningham, Middle Tennessee ($7,000) - Cunningham is slated to start after Bailey Hockman decided to depart from the Blue Raiders’ program earlier this week. Prior to Hockman’s departure, Cunningham was seeing limited action as the Blue Raiders rotated two quarterbacks. In that playing time, Cunningham was able to post 259 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Similar to an NBA injury, Cunningham should just see a massive boon in volume compared to his salary.

Doug Brumfield, UNLV ($5,500) - Brumfield is the other salary saver at quarterback. He’s likely to return this week after missing the Rebels last game due to injury. Brumfield is an inaccurate passer, but he does provide dual-threat upside. Through two games, Brumfield has completed 11 out of 26 pass attempts for 177 yards and one interception. He has rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. At $5,500 with dual-threat upside, he could be an ideal "Super FLEX" candidate on a short slate.

Running Backs

Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State ($10,500) - Rivers rarely leaves the field for the Fresno State Bulldogs. The dynamic running back has logged 215 snaps through four games. He’s also one of the most productive running backs in college football season. Rivers is averaging 113.0 all-purpose yards per game, and he also has four touchdowns in four games. As mentioned above, Rivers has a date with UNLV’s porous defense, but his role is impacted even less by the 30.5-point spread favoring his squad.

Shadrick Byrd, Charlotte ($7,200) - Byrd's value on a poor Charlotte team is all about matchup and opportunity. Byrd has out-snapped backfield mate, Calvin Camp, 53-to-40 over the last two games. He has been more productive than Camp as well. Byrd has caught two more passes, scored one more touchdown, and produced two more all-purpose yards than Camp. He should be well-positioned to exploit a beatable matchup against the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee is allowing 162.3 rushing yards per game including 4.0 yards per carry.

Charles Williams, UNLV ($5,800) - Williams is the best player on a bad offense. Yes, UNLV’s implied team total is easily the lowest on the slate (13.5). However, rostering Williams is getting a workhorse running back at a reserve running back salary. Williams is averaging 20.0 rushing attempts per game. His salary remains depressed due to back-to-back matchups with top 25 teams. Most importantly, his low salary frees up a ton of salary cap room to roster multiple high-salaried players. For what it is worth, numberFire's model believes in UNLV to cover a 30.5-point spread.

Others to Consider: Sean Tucker ($9,200), Christian Beal-Smith ($8,800), Joshua Mack ($6,100), Amir Rasul ($5,900; if Chaton Mobley is out), and Mike Hollins ($5,100; if Wayne Taulapapa is out).

Wide Receivers

Jalen Cropper, Fresno State ($10,200) - Cropper has been on the field for 132 pass plays through four games. That leads all Bulldogs' pass-catchers. The junior has a touchdown reception in every game this season. He’s coming off a fantastic performance against UCLA as well; the emerging star racked up 14 receptions, 141 receiving yards, and a touchdown on 17 targets.

Josh Kelly, Fresno State ($7,900) - Kelly has cleared 100 receiving yards in two straight games. His 14.4 ADOT and 3.43 yards per route run lead Fresno State. He’s a fine alternative to Cropper if you can't get there in salary, or you want additional exposure to Fresno State’s prolific passing attack.

Keytaon Thompson, Virginia ($6,600) - The former quarterback is intriguing due to his usage in the running and passing games. Thompson has at least three rushing attempts in all three games this season. His 78 rushing yards rank second amongst all Cavaliers. His role in the running game could increase if Wayne Taulapapa is unable to suit up (he is questionable due to a concussion). Additionally, Thompson has 14 receptions and 197 receiving yards through three games. Both of those numbers rank third amongst UVA pass catchers.

Jacquarri Roberson, Wake Forest ($7,000) - Roberson is off to a slow start this season for Wake Forest. Consequently, his salary remains affordable. Roberson racked up 62 receptions, 926 receiving yards, and eight touchdown receptions a season ago. It’s only a matter of time before the senior regains his form from 2020. A game with a 68.5 total and a tight spread could be the get-right spot that he needs to find the endzone.

Ra'Shaun Henry, Virginia ($6,400) - Freshman Dontayvion Wicks ($8,800) should be popular, and he has been incredibly productive this season. He’s tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions. However, this is potentially a spot to pivot to his teammate and make your lineup contrarian. Ra’Shaun Henry flashed big-play ability last season, as he tallied 7 receptions, 206 receiving yards, and 4 touchdown receptions in just five games. In 2021, his 22.8 ADOT is higher than Wicks (20.9) and he’s running more pass routes than Wicks (85 to 75, respectively). The two receivers have comparable roles, but Henry offers significant salary relief.

Others to consider: AT Perry ($9,000), Billy Kemp IV ($8,500), Grant DuBose ($8,300), Taj Harris ($8,000; if he plays), Victor Tucker ($6,900), Demario Douglas ($6,500), Kearic Wheatfall ($6,300), DeVaughn Cooper ($4,000; if Taj Harris is out)

Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.